A cat eating a fish under a chair, a mural in an Egyptian tomb dating to the 15th

century BC

The earliest known indication for the taming of an African wildcat (F. lybica)
was excavated close by a human Neolithic grave in Shillourokambos,
southern Cyprus, dating to about 7500–7200 BC. Since there is no evidence of
native mammalian fauna on Cyprus, the inhabitants of this Neolithic village most
likely brought the cat and other wild mammals to the island from the Middle
Eastern mainland.[48] Scientists therefore assume that African wildcats were
attracted to early human settlements in the Fertile Crescent by rodents, in particular
the house mouse (Mus musculus), and were tamed by Neolithic farmers.
This mutual relationship between early farmers and tamed cats lasted thousands of
years. As agricultural practices spread, so did tame and domesticated
cats.[13][6] Wildcats of Egypt contributed to the maternal gene pool of the domestic
cat at a later time.[49]

The earliest known evidence for the occurrence of the domestic cat in Greece dates
to around 1200 BC. Greek, Phoenician, Carthaginian and Etruscan traders
introduced domestic cats to southern Europe.[50] During the Roman Empire they